And Republicans complained that taxpayers funded Obama political travel?
This article, written in a campaign year illustrates, perhaps as well as anything, the absolute moral double standard exhibited by Far Rightists to which they, themselves, seem oblivious.
Reince (is that even real name?) Priebus RNC chairman at the time was actually being critical of, then President, Barack Obama for “spending taxpayer dollars campaigning.” Interestingly enough, the number and purpose of all Presidential trips, domestic and overseas is public record and well documented.
If we were hearing the same sort of complaints from Republicans, apparently concerned about this “waste” of funds, regarding Trump’s numerous trips, it would at least indicate some smattering of even-handed conservative fiscal concern in play. This, alas, is far, far from the reality which is that for all their nattering, their current leader has far outpaced Barack Obama in any metric which could even remotely be considered a waste of taxpayer dollars.
For consistency, I will consider all travel out of D.C. by Air Force One. which involves any sort of campaigning for a candidate, regardless of other peripheral reasons, as campaign travel. Using that yardstick, let’s consider Barack Obama’s campaign travels during an “off year” election year. In Obama’s second term, where campaigning had no personal implication for him, being termed out, he campaigned 21 times in 2014, which involved either candidate specific speeches or general DNC fundraisers. Of these trips, none involved golf, and many, if not most, had other events which were politically unrelated to any candidacy.
This year, including all travel planned over the next several days in November, Donald Trump will have made 59 such trips, 28 of which were made for the specific and sole purpose of campaigning for a local candidate. That’s fueling and flying Air Force One all over the nation on the public dime to campaign for one party. And this is the party of financial conservatism?
Moreover, those of the far right, led by Trump himself, were loudly critical of the amount of golf played by Barack Obama. Trump himself, in typical bluster mode, at one time said, “I would rarely leave the White House because there’s so much work to be done,” (Trump interview, 2015.} “I would not be a president who took vacations. I would not be a president that takes time off.” While campaigning for the presidency in 2016, Trump said to the American people: “I’m going to be working for you. I’m not going to have time to go play golf.” As we all know now, that may well be the worst single Presidential lie since Ike denied U-2s were flying over Soviet airspace (right up until they shot one down!)
Since I have that kind if time and the data is available, here’s the truth, by the numbers. The number of times over 8 years which Barack Obama took Air Force One and flew specifically to golf? Easy- none! Trump - 12 times in 2018 alone. This includes flying to his New Jersey Club for one single 11 day “getaway,” (the White House's words) which involved no defined public business, but a whole lot of golf. In 2017, his “golf only” travels were more numerous, including far more flights to Florida. In fact, in a similar eleven day "getaway" span in December, 2017, the man who would be “too busy” for golf actually played 8 rounds in Florida. In Obama’s case, by contrast, he played the vast majority of his golf in settings such that he was driven by car to the course from wherever he was staying.
No one is denying that presidents should vacation. “W” was the master of vacation days, at 1020 over 8 years, Reagan took 866, FDR, over three full terms and part of a fourth, took 958, Ike & LBJ were both in the high 400 day ranges. Barack Obama? 328 days.
At his current pace, Donald Trump will almost double Obama’s annual vacation days. Moreover, he will grossly eclipse Obama's 333 golf days, possibly even out golfing the real "Golfer in Chief," Woodrow Wilson (1200 rounds and this, during WWI!). In truth, Eisenhower and Clinton also played more rounds of golf in two terms than Obama. At the current pace, Trump would, in two terms (God forbid) actually reach a total of 1164 rounds of golf, closing in on Wilson's record. Now, add to this, that when Obama golfed anywhere but the Washington area, he was on family vacations, Typically, he rode by car ($10.00 worth of gas?) to either the course at Martha’s Vineyard, Andrews AFB or other military course in the DC area or, when in Hawaii, a local course there.
Trump flies to New Jersey and Florida, just for golf, at times. Trump’s trips to Mar a Lago alone have cost Americans, so far, by conservative estimate, $17 million and counting. This is more than more than the Mueller investigation, which, of course, Trump decries as a waste of money. Where’s the Republican outrage at this egregious waste of our tax dollars?
Trump flies to New Jersey and Florida, just for golf, at times. Trump’s trips to Mar a Lago alone have cost Americans, so far, by conservative estimate, $17 million and counting. This is more than more than the Mueller investigation, which, of course, Trump decries as a waste of money. Where’s the Republican outrage at this egregious waste of our tax dollars?
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